
Class. 



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NEW SMYRNA. FLORIDA. FRIDAY. JANUARY 19 1917. 



r 



NEW SMYRNA-Its Past, Its Present, and Its Future. 

An Interesting Paper Read By John Y. Detvviler at the Second Meetingj 
Of the Men's Fellowship Club Held Last Night. " '^^ ' 



k 



f&>^ 



• "*' , 
:'.'• occasion uI'od wlncbd^^ "'' 
■iiblcd is one oi' i. , -Wiin or- 
li ry importance to ■=> "' 

.N( .. Srayrnii as wcil ao iii".-.». «f in^' , 
Statu of Florida. In fact Svery 
.\i crican, who, ir» the search for 
II. oiical truth, leaves no leciti 
iiu.n- effort pass whercliy in his own 
1." ality as well' as in the surrouml ' 
ill country authcnti • records of its 
I.a-t history may be ubtained. N^. 
where in any of our siater stnt' 
tare there mop? interesting' archacol 
JcRical ruins or those of prehistori 
Uninia. rtmainj than our belov 
Stato of Florida. P;'f"fl <""ld ' 
rritten upon these tw 
he early history of i 
»hat is now l:nown r.^ Now Smyr 
la, its earliest scttb'mcnt by Pcdin 
ili'iiendcz de Avilea uiuKr the nam' 
rf St. Au(?u8Unc, tlie erection o 
he prehistoric fort and tjjo old 
Spanish Mission, hen- oforc unrecor.l 
id in the annals of history. To ni. 
jnixpeclciUy has been as.'ipned a 
(rivilege to contribute of my inpa 
fer knowiWge relative to Ithe an- 
iiiuiti,?s that we find in our immed 
ite neighborhood, antiquities that 
even trcditionsi furniah no recnri 
of, and under these circumstancc.-- 
is to b? wondered at that a feeli 
f incjipacity asserts itself, fi'H' 
nj; my inability to do the subji^ 
Ust'ice in the face of world wiW 
irlticsm . 

. New- Smyrna — its past hi«t)cry 
[Pas the subject assigned to me, but 
)wing to the inability of the gen- 
lemen to whom the subjects of 
ilew Smyrna, its present; also tlv , 
i"u\,ure of Nqw Smyrna, two add! 
itionaV papers to respond, the three : 
opics were inclVided in the one pa- 
)er to which I respectfully caH your 
ittention, hoping in the time con- 
sumed to furnish both entertain 
ment and instruction. 

It will be remembered that the first 

hev/spappr published in New Smyr ■ 

aa, Volosia County, Florida was the 

few Smyr'- a Breeze, the date of 

be first issue was May 5th, 1887. 

lie leading topic being New Smyr 

a, its past, its present and its fu 

ur?, by the editor who now fur 

lishes this article. In the archaeo 

Dgical researches which became neces 

■ry to imelVigently di^cribe an al 

ost hitberi^o unknown locali*-y 

bundant evidences of prehistoric 

as found, a." ^weljl as 



jiinri' rnodoni' ruins, evidently %^m 
both Spanish" and English (u-i-upa- 
tioii The enthusiasm once aoiiuired 
has reiver abated. Conditions per- 
mitted a visit to Havana, Cuba, 
also to the Spanish ruins in CaHfor- 
ia of which Florida antidates thati 
of .Arizona and New Mexico eight) 
years, opportunity was afforded to 
meet the highest American author- 
ities both Catholic and Pro'.estant al- 
' so access to the celebrated Bancroft 
' Library^ A reference to books relat 
I ing to the subject and a cssuai' in* 
spection thereof. A meeting with 
individuals who' now are engaged in 
Seville Spain, translating rciords, 
who are now personal correspondents 
ail afforded opportunity which fin- 
ally resulted in the culmination of 
the desire of years Past, which I now 
submit to you for your investigation 
and criticism, which I hope will re- 
sult '" seme action of this or some 
other society whereby this good 
work may continue indefinitely and 
New Smyrna and the county of Vp* 
lusia which is so abundantly replete 
wtth objects and locations of an his- 
tcricaV nature besides the evidences 
of an early Spanish occupation that 
it will not be necessary for us to be 
I come subsidiary to any other his- 
j torical society whatever but will stand 
out singly and alone as being IT, aa 
we possess all the evidences to pToyp, 
the position taken._ Am^ -hr- an 

thorilic.>< cited relative t. 

upon which I cm dwell jii;, are V. 

Bartrams travel's through East a.... 

West Florida in 1777, during thell 

English occupation, a <;oPy of whih 

I am indebted to Dr. E. H. Sella: , 

.State Geologist of Florida. 

Fairbanks History from 1512 t* 

the close of the Florida War in 1812.' 
France and England in North 

Am,?rica by Frances Parkman. 
History of the Catholic Missions 

among the Indian tribes of the Un 
itcd States 1529 1854, by John' 
Gilmary Shea. ' 

Also two volumes entitled "The' 
Spanish Settlements in the United* 
States." 1513-1561 and Florida-4 
l.-i«2-1574. 1 

The three latter volumes have been • 
fiu-nised me to continM"; my re 
searches by Rt. Rev. M. .T. Curl y. 
Bishop of the diocese cf S . Aggus" 
tii.e, who also provided the necessary 
credentials upon my last visit to thft 
Catholic Missions in Cr-l-.Tornia. 



fii|vii'st (i! 
to o^Bif 



GOO 



1 - - ' ' -'^0, 

•hich date thfl author:;j 
:i to Peti'ro Men.ndet ii« 
uniVertake the coni| 
,1. He was directcil 
ooi'.^ of lii'ty tons eac'- ati • 
smaller vo^sels, takin. 
.he ti»n Peiayo, a Irif 
tons fo transport 
-n. The 
luindretl. 



I'' •■'■■ ' and BfiisHtis such .'. ' 
i.'-t"i3, ccrR'^ntors, lo^' ^ 
I sawyers, smiths, and' barbers, ai , 
•■ "•■ armed. Two hundred '>*■ 'l^""-' ; 
to be married r.nd at . 
red were to be labor»r5 m; " 
• '.'rs. The company was to in- 
, !■: j'.- four mcml>ers of the So( :• ■ 
of .U-sus with tpn or twelve monks < 

I any oril,^r he saw fit, and' he v.;. 
granted the privilege of transapn 
ing to Florida five hundred negr> i 
^slaves taken from Spain, Portugal,' 
itho Cape Verde Islands or Guinea, of 
V ' -n one third were to be wcmen to ( 
a- >-. in the construction of the towns I 
(the cultivation of the land, the plant 
in- of surrar cane and thp manufi"' 
t of sugar. 

ii.' yas esPe'ially enjoin^ i to 

I ',b: none of his colonists were c> 

tat.vnatad by H-sresy, and that thcr 

! V • ■ no Jew."- Mor.rs, or Marmnos, 

nn Jews rmong them. 

wm ordered to take with him 

hundred hcrses ar.i rnaras, two 

iiui.ired sheep, four| Hupdred swine, 

fo'ir hundred lambs ^^d_ some goats 

w 'i what other stock' he saw fit. 

1'. was ordered to reconnoitre the 

(III' Coast of the peninsula and from 

t'l Florida Keys as far north as 

X .■ Foundland, and to make a ful' 

report upon the ports, currents. 

rocks, shoal's, and bays of the same. 

ar.d finally came the main purpose 

of the assiento, the pxT'ulsion of the 

French." Spain being at peace with 

France, Frenchmen ccidd not openly 

be named as having invaded Spanish 

territory which might be construed 

as a formal threat against the 

French Gov,»mment in the face of 

its solemn protestation that it harbor 

ed no designs upon Florida. It was 

therefore necessary to disguise the 

instructions under a comprehensivr 

term which should include the caR< 

of the French colonists without at 

tributing their irregular ai'ion' to th- 

con-nivance of the Frpm !i i-rown and 

A^viles was jdirecto ' asc^ain 



1 



" ffTJimwriSTcf coast or' TInd 
were settlers orCTorsairs or 
nations whatsoever not subje 
IS" and " to seek to drive then 
' y what means you see fit. 

H'jre follows conditions mm 
which Aviles obligated himself, ail^ 
the emoluments and opportunities 
in trade that were offered. 

A foot note under i .ifr. U'^ 144, 



furnisli'^ 

Madrid Sp:\in, of thi' foregoinjt ex- j 
tracts as it is not possible ii. tho'j 
brief space of time allotted, to i"v l 
IP- the subjects which are of thi' nn'st ( 
lUU importance to the matter < f '- 1 
tiibli.shinjj the fac' that New Smyr- |' 
n;i was the location of th|3 lirst set- 
tiea>ent of Europeans in America, 
brief extracts from the volumes 
previously inention,'Hl will be made 
with such comments as may be 
founil necessary to acccmplish the 
ond in view, 

Aviics set sail from Cadiz on the 
18th day of JulV ir>65, reaching the 
Canaries the 15th of the ensuing 
month. AJtfiT some delay he arriv 
cd at Porto Rico on the 8th of An 

His fleet becomiiij? F^i'Bratc<i he 
sailc'i from Porto Rico with only 5 
vcsstls on the 151b of August with 
80(1 souls of which oOO were soldiers, 
200 mariners, "the other hundred 
being usless peopl'e as he called 
them, "married meri', women children 
and officials," H^; arrived' at San- 
to Domingo August 17, 1565. 

On Sunday August 25, the pcnin' 

sula was made off Cape Canaveral, 

anil four days were spent sailing 

along the coast in search of the 

French port. Failing to discover it 

Menendez at last sent ashore to 

Karn of the Indians where it lay and 

was informed by signs that it wa( 

tAvnty leagues to tbe north. Coaa< 

irg along eight 'eagucs farther Me 

liendez came upon the harlor of the 

river of Dolphins, previously visited 

by Laudonniere into which he entered 

and gave it the name of .St. Au{^-' 

tine, having discovered it uPon the 

festival of that saint the 28th of 

August." At what point on the 

, ast was Menendez when he inquir- 

,1 of th^ .Indians? Fort Caroline 

ifterwards San Mateo, now St. A»- 

castine is distant from Xcw Smyrna 

liiUt by latitude ^9 miles, from Foil 

('aroline South 20 Leagues would 

I, ring the^bdian village at El 



Turtle Mound, the greatest land 
mark .s&uth of the Amelia Island. 
This point is evidently wh-^re he | 
made his inquiry. 7 

Appendix B. page 389, Lowrie, 
r.sru-s^s the probable location ofi 
:• l:uvora de Mai which Ribaut 
places ir. latitude 30 degrees r«fer , 
red to by Chantone as Rih^ra do las i 
Tonentes in a letter to Phillip II on | 
January 24, 15G.3. t^ 

I Hawkins visiting Laudonnicre's Se^ 
Uemcnt in 1504 found the river stand 
ing in 30 degrees and better. T Let 
us then compare locations, as given 
by latpr voyagers as latitudes of the 
several places under discu-i^sion. 
Joan cie Herriera 1576. See appen- 
dix U, Page 439. Lowrie, Florida — 
Reference BiWiooeca Nat^-^onal Mad | 
rid Mss.4541, fol. 87— giving the lat- j 
itudcs of St. Aigustine in 29 de- ^ 
grces, of San Mateo in 30 degrees, 
of Santa Elena in 32 degrees and of 
Gual" (which is between San .Ma'.eo 
and Santa Elena) in 32 degrees 20 
minutes. I 

The location of the several' light) 
houses according to the U ? 
Coa.^t Survey are as follows: 

Canaveral, 28 degrees, 27 min. 37 
see; St. Augustine, 29 deg. 53 min. 
07 sec.; San Mateo 30 deg..; Mos- 
ciuito Inlet, 29 deg. 04 min. 49 sec; 
St. .\ugustine 29 c^<?g. ;St. Johns 
River 30 deg. 23 min. 27 sec; Amel- 
ia Island 30 deg. 40 min. 23 sec. 

Appendex B. page 39.3, Lowrie, 
Florida. States — Laudonniere in] 
].S(>4 on the .Second French Expedi-; 
tion pstablisheil Fort Caroline on 
the Riviere de Mai, (See page 57 in 
this Volume) "From this he was 
driven out by Menendez de Avile?, 
who chan(5?d the name of the fori *'' 
that of San Mateo, which name was 
Continued on page two. | 



I Continued from page one. / 

in consequence given to the river 

I and the Spanish Settlement of San 

' Mateo, which grew uP on the right 

' bank of the river near its mouth has 

retained ite name down through the 

first quarter of the nineteenth cen- 

tuij-." 

In chapter IX, relating to the cap- 
ture of Forfl Caroline, pages 158" j 
In'.t, the following citations are made: 
•The three Spanish vessels which 
Cook that southerlj' coura-i in per- 
suit of the remaining French ship, 
continued all night. Menendez had 
ordered them to rejoin him in the 
mouth of the St. John's in the morn- 
ing, and if unable to do so to return 
to St. Augustine. But a storm 
arose and th(?y were obliged to cast 
anchor off the coast, the vessels being 
so small they did not '^"^ ^o take *« 
the sea. 

One of the three broke away and 
while in this peril a French ship was 
sighted and they w/ere in terror of 
being boarded but she did not attack 
them although she hove to within a 
league. 

The following day September 6th 
after sighting a second French Ves- 
sel, they madf^ for a harbor near at 
hand which I'roved to be that of St. 
.\ugustine and on landing found that 
the other two vessels had precccded 
them, having also arrived the same 
nay,, September 6th. The harbor 
was near the village of an Indian 
chief named Seloy, ,who received 
them with much kindness. The 
Spaniards at once went to work to 
fortify a large Indian dwelling, pro- 
bably a communaV house of the na- 
tives, which lay near the water's 
edge. They dug a ditch around it 
and threw up a breastworks of earth 
and fagots. "These two good cap- 
tains of ours," Patino and San Vin- 
cinte "working with such industry, 
that whh only the nails of their 
soldiers, and without other tools, 
they made a fort for their defense.' 
says Menendez . 

And this was the bir*h of St. Au- 
gustine, the oldest city in the Un- 
ietd Statjes. 

"It's ancient site can no long3r be 
determined, but it is known to have 
been such that it did not command 
the entrance to the harbor, could not 
be discovered from the sea, and was 
^-nuch exposed to the attacks of the 
Indians. When in May the follow- 
ing year the settlement was moved 
to a more advantageous position, the 
first location receive-! the name of 



u'd St. Augustine, from the SfMIl' 
ards." Aviles at once began dlB- 
•mbarking his troops landing 200 of 
\hfitn. On Friday the 7th he sent 
liis three smaller ships into the har- 
bor and 300 more colonists were 
landed, along with the married men, 
their wives and children, and most 
of the artillery, and ammunition. On 
Saturday, Lady's day, September 18, 
the balance of the colbnists, 100 in 
number, and supplies were put 
ashore. Then the general himself 
landed amidst waving of flags, the 
sounding of trumpets and other in- 
struments of war and the salutes of 
the artillery. The chaplain, Mend'oza 
who had gone ashore the Previous 
day, advanced to meet him chanting 
Te ileum Laudamus and carrying a 
cross, which Aviles and those with 
him reverently kissed, failing upon 
their knees. Then Mencndez took 
posession in the King's name. The 
Snass of Our Lady was solemnly 
chaivted and the oath v.-as ad'minis' 
tered to the various officials in the 
presence of a large concourse of. 
friendly Indians, who imitated all 
the postures of the Spaniards. The 
ceremony was concluded by the serv-. 
ing out of food to colonist and' Indian 
alike. The negro slaves were quar-1 
tered in the huts of the Indian viV' 
lage and the work on the defense 
wa.'; proceeded with,. 

"While this was in progress, two 
of Ribaut's ships, which the Span- 
iards had chased on the night of, 
Sei'tember 4th, made a demonstra-, 
lion at the mouth of the harbor of-' 
fering combat to the San Pelayo,, 
and the San Salvador, which were' 
unable to cross the bar on account of' 
their size and lay outside in a very 
cxpos'-d situation. But the chalange 
was not accepted and after watching 
from a distance the landing of troops 
the Frenchmen sailed' away the same ■ 
afternoon and returned to the 
mouth of the St. Johns. 

"Menendez was in fear l,est Ri- 
baut should return and attack his 
fleet while he was unloading, and 
perhaps capture the San Pelayo, 
which, carried the major part of hi* 
supplies and ammunition and he wap 
most anxious to send two of In 
boats back to Havana for reinforce- 
niients. For this reason the unload- 
ing was Pushed rapidly forivard. 

"In the meantime he strengthened 
liis position and sought what infor 
mation he could obtain of the situa- 
tion of the French fort from the In- 
dians. They told him it could be 



reached from the head of the harbOr 
of St. Augustine without going by 
Bea, indicating probably, a way by 
norch river and Pablo Creek." */ 

This conjecture as to reaching 
Fort Caroline (later San Mateo), at 
that time occupied' by Laudonniere,i 
from the original St. Augustine, in 
latitude 29 degrees, now New Smyr- 
na, is apparently wrong, as in HSft 



war was declared by great Britailli 
against Spain. Oglethorpe com 
nianded an expedition against Ne^ 
St . Augustin^, and on the 19th da; 
of June summoned the Spanish gi 
rison to surrender, and uP to the 61 
of July the garrison and people had 
received no injury though greatly 
premised for provisions. The inlet 
at .Mo^quiM. latitude 29, had not 
l><i-n blockaded by Oglethorpe. Sop» 
|)lies were obtained from Cuba, thfl 
fort reinforced by the inland water- 
way as stated to Menendez by t)ie 
Indians 174 years previously, ap- 
parently refutes the practicability o^ 
the route via North river and Pabla 
creek, which would be north of tlMj 
present site of St. Augustine. 

The river of Dolphins is generaltyi 
supposed to be the confluence of the 
North and Mantanzas rivers. .Chap^ 
ter IX, "The caPture of Fort Caro*. 
line," page 164, I cite as follows: j 
Meanwhile the French at Fort( 
Caroline had remained without newa 
of the outcome of the attack. But 
nil the appearance of two of his ves- 
sels at the mouth of the St. Johns, Rl- 
baut went down the river to ieam 
what happened. He met on his way a 
boat load of men returning from one 
of the ships, who told him of their 
encounter with the Spaniards and 
iniformed him that they had seen 
three of tl>e enemy's ships in the 
river of DolPhins and two more in 
the roads where the Spaniards had' 
disembarked and where they were' 
fortifying their position. * * * ; 
The river evidently was the Matan- 
zas, then called the St. Johns. The 
river of Dolphins, from the above 
citation, was the Halifax and the 
North Indian rivers. Three shipa 
were inside the harbor. The San' 
Pelayo and San Salvador being the 
vessels outside in the roadway, they 
being unable to cross the bar. Cross 
narratives sometimes establish facts. 
The voyage of Don Hernando De 



Maurique de Rojas in the latter halK 
of May, ,1564 sent in search of th« 
columns erected by Ribaut with 2* 
men, he struck the Florida coast be- 
low Cape Canaveral in lattude 27,. 
degrees, 30 minutes. Sailing by day. 
and as near as possible to the shore 
he reached' the Rio de la Cruz in 29( 
degrees, probably Mosquito river. 
He struck Mantanzas inlet in 29 deg., 
30 min., where he arrived the 25th. 
He was in the Rio de las Corri^ntes 
probably the mouih of the St. Johns 
river, the 26th. May 29, he arrive^ 
at St. Helena, latitude 32, but he 
searched in vain for the fort of thfli 
French settlers. / X- j 

Let us return to the expedition ofi 
Laudonniere, who succeeded' Ribaut 
in the colonization of Florida, whicl« 
set sale April 22, 1564, struck thej 
low lying coast of Florida on Thurs- 
day June 22, in the neighborhood oC 
St. Augustine (latitude 29). Lau- 
donniere reconnoitered the entrance 
to the harbor called Seloy by thfl 
natives, and' nam^ed by him the river 
of Dolphins, but finding it unsuitable 
his purpose, set sail on the following 
liay and two days later reached the 
river of May, the St. John. Here 
he went ashore and met Saturibu, an 
Indian chief whom he had mf?t there 
on the occasion of Ribaut's first vig-j 
it. After severaj days exploration,! 
with general' consent the expedition.] 
returned to the river of May. A spoti 
was selected for the erection of a> 
fort. * • . * It was named Fort,; 
Caroline, in honor of Charles IV. 
Spe ip. 64-57, Lowrie, Florida. 

September 8th, Ribaut embarked 
and on the 10th sailed away to attack 
St. Augustine wich his 200 sailors 
and 400 soldiers, which included the 
flower of the soldiers at Fort Caro- 
line. Two days later a storm arose 
so violent that the Indians themsel- 
ves declared it to t(9 the worst they 
had ever seen on the coast. Menen- 
dez at once realized that the proper 
time had presented itself for an at- 
tack upon the fort. He recounted" 
the advantages which the moment 
presented for an attack upon Fort 
Caroline with its defense weakened 
by the absenc,e of Ribaut and his in- 
ahiKty to return against the contrary 
Wind, which in his judgement would 
continue several days. His plan was 
to reach the fort throuirh the forest 
and to attack it.' The remaining lart 



I 



of the narrati^ge is history, and the 
foregoing citations, perhaps some- 
what disconnected, will serve to lo- 
cate the orifrinai site of the St. Au- 
Kustine of Menendez, as well as the 
river of May, of Ribaut and I.audon- 1 
niere to New Smyrna, the location of) 
the ongina' fo;". oreced by Menendext 
de AvH»8 in September 1565 and re- 
moved to San Mateo in latitude 29 de-. 
urees, 30 minutes, nine monvihs la- / 
tev. The Spanish Mission, though 
sonitwhat the worst tor tno centur- 
ies thfft have elapsed, up to the pres- 
ent time is still' in better condition 
than the remains of mcny of the 
Spanish Missions of California, Ari- 
zciia and New Mexico, all of which 
have been erected by authority eight 
years subsequent to the Mission at 
the original St. Augustine, now 
known as New Smyrna. 

RtJ'erences and cit-tions as to 
dates of the several expeditions 
subsequent to the discovery of Flor- 
ida by Ponce De Leon in 1512: 

Ribaut, commanding the first 
French expedition, set out February 
H', 1562. He struck the eastern 
shore of Florida in latitude 29 deg., 
30 min., north, off a h,?auland called 
French Cape, about the vicinity of 
Mound Grove, Volusia county Florida 
(a large Indian Village). 

Rene de Laudouaicie was selected 
for the commander of the new ven- 
ture. Hp was on'-' of Ribaut's com- 
panions in the first attempt. The 
colonists set sail April 22, 1564. He 
struck the Florida coast June 22,| 
1564, in the neighborhood of St. Au-j 
gustine, entered the harbor, named it' 
the river of Dolphins. Finding it 
unsuitable for his purposes, set sail 
the following day and two days la- 
ter reached the river of May, the St. 
John. See pagy; 54, Lo-wrie, Florida. 

In May 1564, Don Hernando de 
Manrique de Rojas, set sail with a 
company of 25 men to destroy the 
columns erected by Ki')aut, expel' the 
settlers and destroy the fort. He 
struck the coast near Canaveral in 
latitude 27 degrees, 30 minute^. Sail- 
ing he reached the Rio de la Cruz in 
29 deg., probably Mosquito river. 
See pp. 45-46, Lowrie. 

May 10, 1565, Jean Ribaut, in com- 



mand of five vessels, with authority 
to supercede Laudonniere in chance 
of Fort Caroline, arriving about Au- 
gust 28, 1565. T uesday September 
4, on the arrival of th? Spanish fleet, 
the French vessels cut their cables 
and sailed away. See page 100, Low- 
rie, Florida. " 

July 28, 1565, Menendez set sail 
from Cadiz, struck Florida off Cape 
Canaveral, August 25, 1565, and en- 
tered Harbor St. Augustine, latitude 
29 deg. September 6, and erected de 
fenses . 
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS. 

1st. The present existence of the 
old fort and Spanish Mission at 
New Smyrna which cannot be denied. 

2nd. The narrative of Williani 
Ba:trum giving che location of the 
shell mound at New Smyrna in 1765 
with no habitation or clearttl field ex- 
cept a wide avenue extending to th», 
savanna. This was evidently the 
parr.de ground and gave commtmica- 1 
tion to the Mission edifice, which 
fronts to the west apparently -then on 
the banks of an open Ip.goon. extend' 
ing from Spruce Creek to Indian Rl- , 

;;rd. The location of the rode, 
house, commanding the inlet, whidi 
the fort did not — also the similarity of 
the name to "Sorrochos" and F. Sor-! 
rijchos river and town r.s shown o« 
the map published by DeBry in 1591. 
See chapter II, page 28, Lowr;e, Flor- 
ida. 

4th. The latitude of St. Augustine 
given as 29 deg., by Herriera, of San 
Mateo as 30 deg. in 1576 comPared. 
See appendex "U" Page ^39. Ixjvme. 
Note latitudes of same locations bj 
U. S. Coast Survey. 

5th. Laudonniere reconnoitre of 
Ihursday June 22, 1564. Harbor called 
"Seloy," named it River of Dolphins. 
Two days sail reached' River of May. 
Erected a fort called Caroline (see 
page 58 Lowrie) . Was driven out by 
M)''nendez who changed the name of 
the fort to San Mateo. (I^atrtude 30 
degrees, append'ex "C," page 393. 

6th. Ribaut, who commanded at 
Fort Caroline, was informed by re- 
turning men from one of the ships of 
••le enocunters with the Spaniards. 

Continued on page three. 



f 



Continued from page two. /\ 
They had se^n three of the enemy's 
shiPs at the River of Dolphins and 
two more in the roads where the 
Spaniards had disembarked and werC 
fortifynig their position. Sec pp. 
164 5, Lowrie, Florida. < 

7th. Scpt'.'mber 8, 15G5, Ribaut 
embarked. On the 10th h? sailed 
from Fort Caroline to attack St. Au" 
tine. A counter attack by land cap-^ 
lured Fort Caroline during the ex- 
isting storm, to the destruction of, 
the French. 

In recapitulation of the several ex- 
pedtions to Florida, both Spanish and 
French, the date of their sailing, the 
arrival to the designed destinations, 
which appear to be specifically stated 
as to latitude. The naming of sever- 
al rivers, which are given as the Ri- 
ver of Dolphins and the River of May. 
the former being nampd by Laudon- 
niere, on latitude 29 degrees, the lat- 
ter as the location of Fort Caroline, 
which now would bo the Matanzas, 
♦he St. Johns the North river, which 
might then be opened by way of Pab- 
lo creek, and the present St. Johns 
was at that time known as the Ri<* 
de La Corrientcs. We, the rcsidente 
of New Smyrna should display enough 
legislative and con* 
, ..nce if possible, by 
appropriations or otherwise, to pur 
chase these most important Spanish 
antiquities. Also to procure trans- 
lation of the Spanish records at 
both Madrid and Seville, Spain. The 
first effoi't necessary to the end is 
the formation of an historical socie- 
'ty, sUting fts objects, based upon 
the facts, which are herewith present 
ed. 

Witi apologies for the time taken 
to satisfactorily demonstrate from 
reliable authorities our claim that 
New Smyrna, under its original name 
of St. Augustine, is the oldest set- 
tlement in America. I submit the 
statement for your intelligent con- 
sideration . 

JOHN Y DKTWILER, 
Honorary Mejnber Florida His- 
torical Sodcrt^. 



KEW SMYTNA, ITS PRESENT, 

Florida since its discovery by 
Ponco dc Leon in 1512 possesses a 
"History, the narration of which 
did we possess the trrnslation of 
%ao records now held in tba archi- 
«e8 of Spain '•vouH be repi?ie vnin 
deeds of daring, of bIoo<!shcd and 
privation the major part of wiiich 
are familiar to us, a portion of 
which are embodied in the previous 
pai'er. It mijrht be well to note a 
few of the eV(?nts which have taken 
pl'ace durint; the English occupa- 
tion as included in the present New 
Smyrna for arc wc not indebted to 
I>r. Andrew Turnbull next subsc- 
iiuent to that of Menendpz 202 
years previously. Aslo to William 
Hartram who published r>n account 
of his travels in the year 1791, 
which took pl'ace in 1777, and .vas 
'•ntitled -"Travels throutrh North 
and South Carolina, Georgia, East 
.md West Florida" during the per- 
u)d of English occupation or befiro 
the Florida's were exchanged with 
Si'ain for the Bahamas. This trans 
fer was made necessary by the 
close proximity of the Floridas to 
the American Colonie.iJ T|ierefore 
:i forcetl transfer was obligatory,, 
the speedy evacuation of the Eng- 
lish col'onists, and the consequent 
abandonment of the r'lantat|'ons 
which soon reverted to ruins. This 
was brought about by the exacting 
influences demanded by th? crown 
of Spain. After the evacuation by 
the Brittish in 1784 the treaty pro- 
jvided that eighteen months be aV 
' Towed in which to dispose of their 
property and remove their effect^ 
As a consequence the possessions of ' 
the English Colonists were virtual- 
ly abandoned which accounts for 
the great number of ruins observoii 
n the vicinity of New Smyrna. 
Many of these were still in evidence 
in 1887 and which mention will be 
n\ade and referred to the date of 
wh'ch settlement was 1776. 

Mr. Bartram says of it. "New, 
Smyrna a I'retty thriving town is a 
colony of Greeks and Manorques, 
established by Mr. Turnbull on the 
Mosquito River, and very near to 
ts mouth. It is about thirty miles 
iverland. New SmjTna is built on 
a high shelly bluff on the west 
iiank of the south branch of Mos* 



quito River, about U'ii miles above 
the Capes of that river which is 
about thirty miles north of /•f^P^ 
Canaveral latitude 28 degrees/ It 
was here alone about ten years ago, 
when the surveyors run the lines 
or precincta of the colonj^ where 
was neither habitation nr cleared 
fields. It was then a famous 
orange grove — the upper or south 
promontory of a ridge nearly half 
a mile wide, and stretching north 
about forty miles to the head of 
the north branch of the Mosquito 
to where the Tomoka unities with it 
nearly parellci' to the sea coast, and 
not above two miles across to the 
Sea Beach . 

All this ridge was then one en- 
tire orange grove with live oaks, 
niairnoiias, palms, red bays, and 
rlui- trees. I observed then near 
where New Smyrna now stands, a 
spacious Indian Mound, and avenue 
which stood near the banks of the 
river. Tlie avenue ran on a 
straight line back through the 
L-r.ive across the rid^e, and termi- 
nau'd at the verge of natural sav 
iinnas and r'onds." The author waa 
pursuing his botanical studies, in 
vostiga'.ing the country traveling 
ly canoe or snialf sail boat and pro 
' urins his supplies from the trail- 

• r'. 



11/ patronage of -the- Brittish 

"vcrnment. 

One hundred and forty years 
have elapsed since Willir.m Bar- 
♦lan recorded the above narrrtive 
on hi;i way to v/hat is known now 
:..s "Bercsford" owned at present 
by the Starke Estate located then 
IS now on the St. Johns river end 
is the town mentioned in the fore- 
going citation. He also mentions 
Blue Springs in Volusia county, 
near DeLand in the following 
words. My friend rode v/ith mc 
about four miles distance fi-om the 
house to shoftr mo a vast fountain 
bf warm or rather hot mineral wa- 
ter which issued from a high ridge 
or bank oti the river, in a great 
cove or bay a few miles above the 
mouth of the creek which I accend/t 
ed to the Lake (Beresford.) It' 
boils ui' with great force forming 



wninediately a vast circular basin 
capacious enough for several' '^shal- 
lops to run in and runs with rapidi- 
ty «nto the river (St. Johns) 800 
or 400 yards distant." Tlie above 
mentioned lake is supposed to be 
Lake Beresford and as stated pre- 
viously is about thirty miles from 
.N'ow Smyrna . 

It is presumed that Bartram on 
•his trip did not visit New Smyrna, 
having been there ten years pre- 
viously in an unbroken hammock, 
liid not discover the Old SPanisii 
Mission, but recognized the avenue 
that led to it, and the prehistoric 
tort now the object of much conjec- 
ture, was still covered with shells, 
li ho expressly states, there was 
■nither habitation or cleared fields 
— this at the time the surveyors 
aid out the precincts for the fu- 
Lire town of New Smyrna. Had 
\w vlaijxid the town under the occu- 
pation of Andrew Turnbull with 
his colony of 1,500 Greeks and 
Minorcan;? he would undoubtedly 
have referred to tlhe surroundings 
more in detail. 

These extracts from various 
books at my disposal to srt-ve to 
connect events if not in succession, 
they locate periods in the history 
of New Smyrna and vicinity and 
the investigator will find much of 
interest in perusing the volumes 

, if accessible, referred to in the pre- 
ceeding paper as authorities. 

Thirty four years continuous res- 
idence in New Smyrna, It being 
the home of my choice, its natural, 
agricultural and topographical ad- 
vantages asserting th'jmselves 
from the beginning, has in that 
time proven its desirability as the 
location of a home or source of in- 
vestment by the rapid strides made 
ia its advance, which under less op- 
posing conditions would have been 
much greater. It is only within re- 
cent years that opportunity has 
been afforded, whereby the de- 
velopment of the city and its en-. 
vironments have been possible. 
Under the new regime we poseas 

j public roads, water, electric lights, 

( sewers, in fact nearly all the advan 

; tages of a northern city. 

1 Fossilized ideas of false economy 



are being relegated to the back- 
ground and the selfish disposition 
which predominated for ^so many 
years has given way to an altruis- 
tic spirit, truly democratic in its 
nature where the greatest good to 
the greatest number is of prime 
consideration which asserts itself 
in the acquisition of public schools, 
highways, hotel^t and other medl- 
I ums of attraction for the great in- 
flux of northern visitorj, prosPec- 
I tive homeseekers and tourists, 
three distinct classes each possess- 
ing their value to the several com- 
munities and the state at large. 
New Smyrna of the present is forg 
ing to the front. Wherever you 
perceive womanly influence asserts 
iiiK itseir yon will find progress, 
"For the hand that rocks the cradle 
of humanity also rules the world" 
— did the average woman realize 
the powerful influence for good In 
both the home and the community 
in which she resides, there would 
be greater advancemer^ in pi^llc 
life. We have it exemplified to a 
certain extent in the cities of De- 
Land, Daytona, and oven in New 
Smyrna where by humble efforts 
great results are being obtained. 
The spirit of altruism, instead of 
sclfishnosa isjiould I'ledomina^?, 
both in secular and sectarian ef. 
forts. In giving the "widow's mite" 
is an example it is written 
''She hath done what she could," 
Womanly effort is never without 
results be they iiVtruijtjc of selfish, 
humble or exalted. We hav-j it exem- 
pfified in the efforts of a womana 
club in New Smyrna to advance tho 
interest of their home city — by pub 
lishing a circular illusti*ating the 
beauty, advantages and objects of 
local interest in the vicinity, al- 
though humble in its pretentions 
concise and truthful in its presenta 
tion, it has been instrumental in 
calling the attention of the worl.l 
at large that New Smyi-na. within 
its environments possesses archi- 
tectural ruins antedating all others 
in AmeriQa, which embrace the fort 
erected by Pedro Menendez de 
Aviles in 1565 6 and also the old 
■Spanish Missdon contamporancljus 
with the Fort and erected in com- 
memoration of the Catholic reu- 
gion and in memory of the Sov- 
eign King Ferdenand and Queen Is- 
sabeli'a. Not only this but there is 
in existence a restored Altar Can- 
dlestick found in ''- -iiins of the^ 



Okl Spanish Mission 1. 
Mathews an early pioneer .-. ..^.v 
Smyrna which was«3^nherited by 
Miss Ida M. Lourcey from her 
Grarjd mother "Granny Mathews," 
as she was familiarly known. 
These objects enum.?rated above 

I which the entire resident popula' 
tion of New Smyrna know exists — ' 
are valid reasons why an Historical 
Society should be organized, em- 
bracing the cities of DeLand, Day- 
tona and New Smyrna' including 
Volusia county, which should be 
world wide in extent. Seeking tha 
CO operation of all American and 
foreign countries intereste<l, organ- 
ized on the same basis or one slm- 
lar to that upon which the Womans 
Mount Vernon Washington Homo 
Association is based upon. Boldly 
stating the . conditions that exist 
and soliciting State and Govern- 
ment aid in the endeavors set forth; 
The results will eventually prove 
a.stonishing. 

Advancing this suggestion to '.he 
women of Volusia county and wish 
ii f, them God speed and succes? in 
;heir efforts New Smyrna and -be 
lounty at large, will Possess a P'r 
petiial present, r nd a no seccnd 
place in the history of Americ-:. 



The Future of New Smyrna. 

A partial history of the past of 
Xtw Smyrna haj been the subject of. 
a pai'er, as well as that of New 

lid for, 
.1 (.1 my' 
.cUow cr.izeiis at in • .>. ri.u oi yuur 
iionorcblo pres^iienL ar.d a..'.:rctury, 
liat as prophesy up to f^his iatc day 
lias not been one of my accomplish- 
nien'.s, it would seem out ol I'lrce to 
begin now. 

It is said that History repeats it- 
self, and also th.i'. what has been 
can be produced again under like con 
ditions and' environments. * 

In the topograpical condition sur- 
rounding New Smyrna and its im- 
mediat3 vicinity there are unbounded 
opportunities to progress, which are 
as easily recognized as at the present 
time as was Possible a generation, or 
even a century ago. Nature has ac- 
complished' much for the locality, 
which was personally recognized by 
me many years ears ago. 
The confluence of two navigable riv- 
ers invariably, in time, will insure the 
location of a city of some commercial 
importance. In addition, there Is an 
opening into the Atlantic Ocean, 



Rrhich eventually will' attract the com 
tnerva of nations. ^IMs inlet has nev 
»r lieen closed v.-ithin the memory of 
kian and was instrumental in furnish 
Ing succor and relief to the Spanish 
garrison during the war with Eng- 
land. During the Civil war it af- 
foiiicd opportunity to communicate 
with the outside wcrVd. ps well as dur 
ing the Spanish American war, when 
it was the subject of federal solicita- 
tion, whereby the shii'ment of arms 
jnd ammunition to Cuba was concern 
fd. The absence of reefs and rocks 
Is important, and the inner harbor 
R-hich has been occupied' by vessels 
[>f light draft for customs which if 
improved by federal appropriations, 
»nd the inlet jetticd, tvil; form its lb' 
caiion midw.^y of the R?ninsula of 
Fporida, prove of commereia' value to, 
tne nation. The depth of water on 
the bar has "been variable, owing to 
the direction of the wind and the 
Strength of the tides. A depth of 24 
feet has been known at times, al'tho 
the average is about 10 feet. 

Immediately opposite tho inlet a 
vast salt marsh will permit dredg- 
ing which will afford docking neces- 
Bities. The prospective taking over 
>f the Cana'i Company's holding by 
«he federal government in the con- 
j«truciion of an inland waterway fi-om 
tape Cod to Key West, will add to the 
advancement of surrounding coun- 
try as much as does the Dixie High- 
way and other extended routes of 
travel to the south. In the effort to 
prot,3ct its coast line federal govern- 
ment will, in tim^. see the necessity 
of the inland watenvay for the trans- 
portation of supplies, torpedo boats, 
submarines, etc. T^his, apparently 
lis but a matter of time. Among the 
I greatest nec,°ssities of New Smyrna 
in the prospective future are dock fa- 
cilities for commercial' purposes. 
Even now the landing place is inade- 
quate for public use. 

The necessity of the means of com- 
munication to New Smyrna beach by 
another bridge is now apparent, and 
a bridge at th? foot of Lytl? avenue, 
■ or some other thoroughfare, is one 
that will soon command public atten- ' 
ion. With the improvement of the 
inlet the pubi'ic will perceive the nec- 
essity of a public dock an acre, more 



or less in exlj^nt and the only prac- 
tical location for the^Ame would be 
at the eastern terminal of the bridge 
wherever it is decided upon; the nat' 
ural beauty of the west bank of th^ 
river would be destroyed should it be 
permitted on the west side. 

New Smyrna is not always to hold 
the position she now occupies. Tl^ere 
are greater prospects ahead of .her. 
It is evident in the near future the} 
county will be divided and in acquir- 
ing parks and other characteristics of 
a public nature, time should be tak- 
en by the forelock and' every effort 
made to increase the population and 
render the surroundings attractive 
both in appearance and to Prospective 
residents, by that subtle chara<rteris- ■ 
tic of the native people of the south'' 
land, "southern hospitality," which in 
many instances is un-^villingly with- 
held. 

The future of New Smyrna la great ' 
ly in the hands of thf; municipal of- 
ficers, who are vi^uaju^the trustees 
of the citizens, ^o long as political 
or sectarian influences predominate 
the public wili' suli'ur, and wiih it the 
municipality. When the inheritances 
of the citizens arc bartered in th|9 
shape of franchises to designing in- 
dividuals for a mere pittance com- 
pared' with tho real value, without re- 
course, or bonded indebtedness in- 
curred to be liquidated at a more 
convenient season in the future, which 
finally results in increased' taxation 
for the property holders, the end of 
prosperity is in sight and in propor- 
tion to the extent of such manage- 
ment will the Prosperity of the city 
be advanced or retarded . 

A clean city government divested 
of political influences, operated by 



those whose property interests have 
not been conveyed to_oy»ers, citizens 
whose moral worth ano integrity are 
beyond question, are those who should 
be .selected to manage the affairs of 
the city of New Smyrna, and as th* 
country prospers, so will the city, and 
to the generation yet unborn will not 
be entailed an indebtedness that by 
prudent measures could have been 
avoided'. 

The material to be wrote upon is 
constantly with us. An individual 
can truly say: "I was, I am, I will 
be," all depending ui'on the present. 
The future is what we, ourselves, 
make it. It is the same with the mu- 
nicipality of New Smyrna, it all de- 
pends upon the powers that govern. 

"Seek ye this day whom ye will 
serve, God (good) or mammon (sel- 
fisht^sss)." In conclusion I predict 

prosperity for New Smyrna, 
■i'our fellow citizen, 
JOHN Y. DETWILER. 



